Medical waste disposal and container washing system

Abstract

A medical waste disposal and container washing system includes loading and unloading stations, the loading station configured for placing a medical waste container on a conveyor system. An inversion station is located downstream along the conveyor system, operable to reorient the container from a first orientation in which medical waste is retained to a second orientation in which the medical waste is discharged from the medical waste container by gravity as the medical waste container is moved within the inversion station. A first wash station along the conveyor system washes an interior of the container that has been reoriented. A second wash station is located downstream along the conveyor system.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of operating a medical waste disposal and container washing system comprising:
 loading a medical waste container to the medical waste disposal and container washing system, the medical waste container including medical waste enclosed in the container by a lid; 
 removing the lid from the medical waste container with a robotic tool following the loading of the medical waste container to the medical waste disposal and container washing system; 
 transporting the medical waste container via a conveyor system to an inversion station; 
 reorienting the medical waste container at the inversion station from a first orientation in which the medical waste is retained within the medical waste container as the medical waste container is moved within the inversion station to a second orientation in which the medical waste is discharged from the medical waste container by gravity as the medical waste container is moved within the inversion station; 
 transporting the medical waste container in the second orientation through a first wash station located along the conveyor system to wash an interior of the medical waste container that has been reoriented to the second orientation; 
 transporting the medical waste container through a second wash station located along the conveyor system and downstream from the first wash station; and 
 collecting and removing the medical waste from the medical waste disposal and container washing system, 
 wherein, following the lid removal, the conveyor system moves the medical waste container continuously through the inversion station, from the inversion station to the first wash station, through the first wash station, from the first wash station to the second wash station, and through the second wash station without stopping. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first wash station operates by spraying cleaning fluid into the container from at least two upwardly-directed spray nozzles that are spaced along a travel direction of the conveyor system. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selectively activating the first wash station in response to a sensor detecting the presence of the medical waste container at the first wash station, and automatically deactivating the first wash station when the medical waste container has passed from the first wash station. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving the medical waste from the medical waste container onto a dewatering conveyor below the first wash station as the medical waste container is reoriented to the second orientation at the inversion station. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising receiving remnant medical waste onto the dewatering conveyor following the reorientation of the medical waste container to the second orientation at the inversion station. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the medical waste container is a first medical waste container, and further comprising transporting the first medical waste container on a gripper inverter conveyor of the conveyor system and transporting a second medical waste container on the gripper inverter conveyor of the conveyor system, the first and the second medical waste containers having different exterior dimensions. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 operating a metering conveyor of the conveyor system to introduce the first medical waste container to the gripper inverter conveyor with an open top end of the first medical waste container at a first vertical position relative to the gripper inverter conveyor, wherein operating the metering conveyor includes 
 operating an actuator to adjust an outlet end of the metering conveyor such that the second medical waste container is introduced to the gripper inverter conveyor with an open top end of the second medical waste container at the first vertical position relative to the gripper inverter conveyor. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conveyor system operates to process at least 20 containers per minute through the second wash station. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conveyor system transports the container at a speed of over 10 feet per minute. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the robotic tool placing the removed lid onto a conveyor lane of the conveyor system that extends to an inlet of the second wash station, wherein the conveyor lane for the removed lid bypasses the first wash station. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the container is exposed to a spray of cleaning fluid for a duration of at least 4 seconds at the first wash station. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the medical waste container is a first medical waste container and the first medical waste container is transported along the conveyor system to the inversion station in a first lane of the conveyor system, and a second medical waste container loaded to the medical waste disposal and container washing system is transported along the conveyor system to the inversion station in a second lane of the conveyor system, the first medical waste container and the second medical waste container having different exterior dimensions, wherein the first and second lanes operate with separate gripper inverter conveyors that run in parallel. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the robotic tool placing the removed lid onto a conveyor lane of the conveyor system that extends to an inlet of the second wash station, wherein the conveyor lane for the removed lid bypasses the first wash station. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising moving the robotic tool with the removed lid along an overhead gantry to a lid release position for placement of the lid removed from the container onto a chute for sliding the lid by gravity onto a lid conveyor lane that extends to the second wash station. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising releasing the lid from the robotic tool onto the lid conveyor lane.